1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to optoelectronic devices and, more particularly, to optoelectronic device component packages and methods of making the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Optoelectronic devices typically comprise an optical system located in front of a photoelectric device. The optical system can be a lens. The photo-active device can be a light-emitting device or a light-detecting device. The photoelectric device generally comprises a photoelectric die having a light-sensitive or light-emitting region thereon. The photoelectric die includes die bond pads for electrically connecting thereto. Bond wires are used to connect the die bond pads to a lead frame. The photoelectric die, bond wires, and lead frame are encased in a plastic or ceramic material. The optoelectronic device package typically comprises a housing for supporting and locating the lens in front of the photoelectric die.
A disadvantage of the prior art optoelectronic devices is expense, the requirement of bond wires, and the difficulty of accurately locating the optical system in front of the photoelectric device.
For instance, Japanese Laid-Open patent publication No. 62-21282 shows a photoconductive detector. The photoconductive detector includes a lens bonded to a semiconductor layer having opposing electrodes formed in contact with the layer. The lens focuses upon a portion of the available light sensitive area of the detector. One disadvantage of this detector is that it requires traditional bonding techniques, that is, it requires bond wires. In addition, the photoconductive detector must be packaged for use. This adds additional manufacturing costs.
In another Japanese Laid-Open patent publication, No. 60-153184, a light receiving element is shown. The light receiving element includes a photoelement chip fixed to a lower surface of an insulating glass. Electrodes are formed onto the lower surface of the glass. A drawback to the light receiving element is that it requires traditional bonding techniques. That is, a bond wire is required to connect the photoelement chip to an electrode. Thus, in its manufacture, a bond wire must be located to an electrode for each device which adds cost to the manufacture of the device. Furthermore, external lead wires are used for electrically connecting the light receiving element to an external circuit which also increases the cost of using such a device.
In yet another Japanese Laid-Open patent publication, No. 59-198770, a photo receiving electronic device is shown. In the device, a photo receiving element is mounted by a flip chip technique onto a transparent substrate. A drawback of the photo receiving electronic device is that it is not packaged in a ready-for-use form therefore increasing the cost of its use. Furthermore, the transparent substrate of the device provides no significant lens effect, thus, in situations requiring a lens effect an external lens is required.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,843,036 to Schmidt et al shows a method of encapsulating an electronic device on a substrate. The electronic device is attached to the substrate and bond wires are used to connect bond pads of the electronic device to electrical conductors formed on the substrate. An optically clear encapsulant is dispensed over the electronic device and the bond wires, encapsulating the device. Upon curing the encapsulant, a lens-like element is produced. The encapsulated device shown in Schmidt et al suffers from the disadvantage that bond wires are required. Use of bond wires increases the succeptability of the device for failure during its manufacture and also adds cost. Furthermore, the lens-like element produced may not be of sufficient quality for a particular application.
It would thus be desireable to provide an optoelectronic device component package, and methods of making the same, wherein the device package is efficient and reliable. It would be further desireable if the device package could be cost effective in its manufacture and its use.